Hyderabad/Bhubaneswar: Cyclone Gulab has left a trail of destruction in north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh after making a landfall at Kalingpatnam on Sunday evening. At least one person was killed in a wall collapse in Visakhapatnam district and another fisherman was reported missing because of the cyclone. Trees have been uprooted and electricity and communication networks, damaged and several several villages in the north coastal districts of the state are cut off. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy today announced an ex-gratia relief of ₹5 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the cyclone.
The vehicular traffic on the National Highway 26 connecting Raipur-Vijaynagaram was affected due to a landslip. In Andhra’s Vizianagaram district crops in 13,413 hectares were damaged, A.Surya Kumari, district collector, reportedly said. Officials said Vajrapukotthuru and Santhabommali mandals in Srikakulam District bore the brunt of the cyclone.
However, the neighbouring Odisha, where 21 blocks received rainfall above 50 mm with Potangi block of Koraput receiving the highest 148 mm on Monday, was comparatively spared by Gulab – the third cyclone to hit the country this year. Already earned a reputation for its deft handling of frequent cyclones, Odisha had shifted 46,075 persons including more than 1,500 pregnant women and elderly persons to safer places in the southern districts, Relief Commissioner Pradip Jena said.
Heavy rains also lashed Telangana on Monday.
According to the latest bulletin of the India Meteorological Department released at 8 pm today, the Deep Depression over south Odisha and adjoining south Chhattisgarh moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 33 kmph during last 6 hours, weakened into a Depression and lay centered at 1730 hours IST today over north Telangana and adjoining south Chattisgarh and Vidarbha, about 65 km east-southeast of Ramagundam (Telangana) and 125 km northeast of Bhadrachalam (Telangana).
It is likely to move west-northwestwards and weaken into a Well Marked Low Pressure Area during next 24 hours. The system is likely to emerge into northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Gujarat coast around 30th September evening and there is likelihood for the system to further intensify over northeast Arabian Sea during the subsequent 24 hours.
The IMD forecasts light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy and extremely
heavy falls at isolated places very likely over Konkan and Goa, Madhya Maharashtra and Gujarat region; heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over Marathwada and Saurashtra and Kutch and heavy rainfall at isolated places over West Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha, during the next two days.
– global bihari bureau
